Grid casting machine



Feb. 2, 1932.

A. D. LUND GRID CASTING MACHINE Original Aug. 24, 4 Sheets-.Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Feb. 2,1932. At DLUND 1,843,774

GRID CASTING MACHINE Original Fild Aug. 24, 192i 4 sheets 5heet 2 mvENToR 1 ARTHUR 'LL/N0,

ATTORNEY A. D.v LUND GRID CASTING MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 24, 1928 4Sheets 5heet 3 Feb. 2, 1932. I

INVENToR B ARTHUR D. LUND ATTORNEY Feb. 2; 1932. A. D. LUND GRID CASTING MACHINE original med Aug. 2.41 192s 4 Sheets-Sheet 4V ATTORN EY Patented Feb. 2, 1932 UNITED vSTATES vPATENT OFFICE ARTHUR D. FUND, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR '10 ALGET ELEG'IlBO-302D- UCTS CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE am CASTING MACHINE Original application l'ed Augiust 24, 1928, Serial No. 301,830. Divided and this application led Auguat 17,

1929. Serial No. 386,553.

of the pairs of mold units, but with the left This invention relates to casting machines f and the primary object is to provide a mold mounting and operating mechanism that, While useful for other purposes, is particularly adapted for use in casting grid plates for Stora e batteries. A further and .more specific otiiject is to provide a machine in which a pair of mold units open 'and close With respect to each other, so as to receive the molten metal and then drop the cast grids, and to so mount and control the molds that they will operate smoothly, with no jars or vibrations, and in a speedy and efficient manner. A further obJect is to providethe machine with openin and closing molds in connection with a kic -out mechanism for auto- 1 matically releasing. the\grids as the molds open so that they maybe quickly discharged before the molds are again closed to repeat the casting operation.

The present application is 'a division ofmy.copending application, Ser. No. 301,830, filed August 24, 1928, for grid casting machlne, and is alsok a continuation in part of g5 my co-pending application, Ser. No. 213,575,

iiled August 17, 1927, for grid casting machine, which last application has since matured into Patent No. 1,747,552 issued Feb.

so In the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated. by similar reference characters in the various views:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation on the line 1-1 in Fig. 2, with some parts broken away, this View being substantially identical with the same subject matter as illustrated at'the le ft in Fig. 8 of Patent No. 1,811,143.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation as seen on lines 2 2 in Figs. 1 and 3, this View corresponding to Fig. 3 of the patent.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of theA casting unit, on a reduced scale and with certain parts omitted.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged top'end-view of one ly actuated, and, as each designed to cast four gri in. one plate, it au half of each unit in cross section.

Fig. 5 is an enlar ed detail sectional view on the line 5--5 in ig. 2. l

Fig. 6I is a plan elevation of one ofthe airs ofmolds or die units, the left half o the near mold bei'ng broken away for purpose of illustration.

Referrin to the drawings more particularly and y reference characters, 7 desi nates a pair of spouts or` .nozzles throng which the molten lead for the grid plates to be cast is intermittently discharged, but these nozzles, together with the metal melting and feeding mechanism, and also-the .mechanism for synchronizing the metal charges with the mold manipulating mechanisms, are described in -detail in my previously mentioned rco-pending patent applications, and it is sutlicient to here state that theA molds are filled with lead immediately after being closed, and when the molds are separated or opened the grid plates, from which the individual grids are subsequently cut,

erable portion of the operating mechanism,

presently to be described, and to what may be conveniently termed'its rear end are rigidly secured, as by boltslO, a pair of heavy side frame members 11, between which the plate 8 is secured. The rear lower corners of the .frames 11 are connected by a cross brace 12,

andabove this brace the frames are connected by a heavy transverse beam 13, which supports the stationary molds-14.

The movable molds 15 are carried by a pair of rams 16, slidably secured in races'17 on the housing 9. These rams are simultaneousair of molds are will be seen that eight grids are cast or formed by each cycle of operation of the machine. The molds are shown in their closed or metal receiving positions in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, and Fig. 3 shows the molds open or separated, at which periods the grids. are discharged and the matrix faces of the molds are cleaned or smoked.

Each ram is actuated or rcciprocated by the-'oscillating action of a lever 18, the uppcr end of which projects into the ram (Figs. 1 and 2), while its lower end is trnnnioned on a fixed shaft 19 in the bottom of the housing 9. The upper end of the lever is provided with a pivoted block 2() that operates between a lixed abutment 21, secured by a bolt 22. andthe head 23 of a slidable bolt 24. A heavy spring 25 is disposed between the nut 26 and a portion 27 of the ram, and tends to hold the head 20 in firm` contact with the abutment 21. The tension of the spring 25 may be regulated by turning the nut 26, after a cover plate- 28 is first removed. As the levers 18 oscillate back and forth they correspondingly reciprocate the mold carrying' rams, the blocks 20 having suflicient freedom for the vertical sliding action between the members 21 and 23 occasioned by the arc of travel that the block 20 must move in. The springs 25 tend to cushion the contact between the opposed molds, but their primary object is to permit the molds to stop, in their forward course, should the previouslyl formed'grids not be fully discharged or should any other object get between and prevent a full closing of the molds, in which case the comparatively delicate matrix surfaces should become seriously damaged.

The levers 18 each operate between a pair of cams 29, and have rollers 30 adapted to travel on the peripheries of these cams. The cams are secured on a sleeve 31, rotating therewith in a clockwise direction, as shown in Fig..1. The major portions of the cam surfaces are circular, and as the rollers 30 travel on these portions extending from .l to K, they are stationary, and in which positionsthey hold the levers 18 forward and the molds closed. The roller engaging surface from K to L is inwardly curved (Fig. 1) and is complemented by an outer. cam edged member 32, which, as the point K approaches the roller, engages the roller and moves the lever 18 rearwardly, thus opening the molds. It will thus be seen that the cam members 29 and 32 are mounted on and simultaneously rotate with the sleeve 31. The sleeve 31 is rotatably carried, by bushing 33 at its ends, upon a shaft 34 secured in the housing 9.

The sleeve 31, as well as the various cam members carried by it, are rotated by a worm gear 35, carried by the sleeve within a. casing 36, and which meshes with a worm 3T, on a shaft 38, driven from a motor 39 in any suitable manner, foi-,instance by a chain as described in application, Ser. No. 301,830. A clutch 40 (only part of which is illustrated) operatively connects the shaft 38 with the motor. It may here be noted that the housing 9 is provided with a door 41, through which the various mechanisms therein vmay be cleaned, oiled, repaired, and adjusted.

T he stationary molds 14 are secured to the bcaln 13 by bolts 42 having springs 43 which hold the molds firmly back against adjusting set screws 44 (Fig. 1) by means of which the stationary molds may be accurately set to properly receive the movable molds. To further aid in properly adjusting the stationary molds I provide set screws 45 for regulating the angle or height of the mold in a vertical plane.

The movable molds 15 are secured to flange extensions 46 of the rams 16 (see Figs. 1 and 2) by stud bolts 47 anchored in the molds and having freedom for limited sliding movement in the members 46', the extent of said limited sliding movement being determined by adjusting nuts 48. The molds are each held forward, i. e., with the nuts 48 in contact with the ram 46, by four springs 49, compressed between short lugs 50 of themolds and adjustable plugs 51 in the ram. The springs 49 thus further cushion the movable molds `but their main purpose is to effect or permit of a perfectly uniform contact between the molds when theyl come together. I

The movable niolds 16, are provided with series of suitably distributed knock out or stripping pins 52 (Fig. 4) having limited sliding actions through the molds, and which are held outwardly projected by springs 53, in which positions their inner ends are flush with the matrix surfaces. The completed and cooled grid plates adhere to the molds 15 when the latter are withdrawn from the stationary molds, and as the rams approach the end of their rearward strokes, the knock out or stripping pins 52 meet the'lhead ends of a series of tap screws 54, adjstably secured in a rectangular frame 55 carried by the housing 9.

T he. faces of the molds 14 and 15 are provided with the complementing intaglio or matrix surfaces which form the grids, and as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, each pair of molds is capable of forming a plate of four grids, which plate is hardened in and delivered from the' mold, after which it is cut apart and trimmed. The net work of horizontal and vertical grooves, 56 and 57 respectively, shown at the left in Fig. 6, form what are known as the wires and ribs of the completed grid, the surrounding channels 58 form the outer frames of the grids, and the pockets 59 form the terminal posts. Adjacent the outer channels 58 the molds are provided with relatively larger channels 60, which form heavy' rods or bars at the ends of the grid plates, and which terminate, at their upper ends, in suitable air vents 61.

.The middle, face portions of the molds are provided with hollow inserts 62, through which water is circulated to keep the molds cool and to expedite hardening of the molded metal. These inserts are provided with complementing wedge shaped sections 63 which separate the incoming stream of metal.

The upper ends of the inserts are fiared out to form funnels for receiving the molten metal from the beaks or nozzles 7. vAs the lead is filled into the closed molds it quickly fills all the open spaces therein, the displaced air being discharged from the molds through the vents 61.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed,

fio

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vcontact with the stops.

provided such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent 1s:

1. In a casting machine, a stationary mold,

a movable mold, a rigid support member for the stationary mold, and means for mounting the stationary mold to said member including yieldable means urging the mold toward' the member, and devices for angularly adjusting the stationary mold in its casting position so as to regulate its vface contact with respect to the movable mold.

, 2. In a casting machine, a stationary mold,

`a movable mold, spaced adjustable stops at be manually adjusted angularly in a planeparallel with the plane of its face'to insure registering face contact of the molds.

5. 'In a casting machine, a pair of separable molds adapted to be pressed together during the casting process, means including a yieldable device for angularly adjusting the molds withrespect to each other whereby the initial face contacts thereof may be rendered as uniform as possible, and means for fiexibly' mounting one of the molds whereby it may yield, with respect to the line of applied pressure, to equalize the face area pressure between the molds when under pressure.

6. In a casting machine, a movable mold. a relatively stationary mold, a support for the stationary mold, spaced adjustable devices carried by the support for abutting e11- gagement with the back of4 the stationary mold to angularly adjust the same, and yieldable means urging the stationary mold in a direction away from the other mold and against the spaced adjustable d-evices.

7. In a casting machine, a movable mold, a relatively stationarymold, a support for the stationary mold, spaced adjustable devices carried by the support for abutting engagement against the back of the stationary mo1d,and spring means for retaining the stationary mold in yieldable contact with said spaced adjustable devices. 8. In a casting machine, a movable mold, a relatively stationary mold, a support for the stationary mold, spaced adjustable devices carried by the support for abutting engagement with the stationary mold, a bar slidable in the support and having one end anchored in the stationary mold, and a spring disposed between the support and the other end of the bar. 9. In a casting machine, a movable mold, a relatively stationary mold, a support for the stationary mold, spaced adjustable devices earried by the support for abutting engagement with the stationary mold, a bar slidable inthe support and having one end 'anchored in the stationary mold at a point intermediate the spaced adjustable devices, and means for urging the stationary mold into contact against the adjustable devices..

10. In a casting machine, a movable mold, a relatively stationary mold, a support for the stationary mold, spaced adjustable devices carried by the support for abutting engagement with the stationary mold, a bar slid'able in the support and having one end anchored in the stationary mold at a point intermediate the spaced adjustable devices, and means forvurging the 4stationary mold into contact against the adjustable devices, said means comprising a spring disposed about the bar.

11. In a casting machine a pair of compleinenting molds, supports for the molds, means for yieldably mounting one of the molds with respect to its support, 'and means, independent of Said first mentioned means,

for adjusting said mold with respect to said support.

12. In a casting machine a pair of compleinenting molds, supports for the molds, means for yieldably mounting one of the molds with respect to its support, and means, independent of said first mentioned means, for Aadjusting said mold with respect to said support, said first mentioned means comprising a telescopic connection between the mold and support and an adjustable spring for eX- erting yieldable pressure on the mold.

13. In a casting machine a pair of complementing molds, supports for the molds,

means for movably mountingy one of the molds with respect to its support, and means, independent of said first mentioned means, for adjusting;` said mold with respect to said support, said first mentioned means comprisingr a telescopic connection between the mold und support and an adjustable spring' for eX* ertilrgr yielduble pressure on the mold, said second mentioned means comprising a pin member extending' from the mold and sliduble in the support with a head member for abutting engagement with the support.

Signed at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin, and State of Minnesota, this 15th day of August, 1929.

ARTHUR D. LUND. 

